Cleaning compositions which contain chlorine bleach are colored for identification. Confusion must be avoided between these detergents and other white granular products used in the kitchen. Avoidance of such confusion is desirable because these bleach compositions are usually alkaline and corrosive to human skin, and so can be hazardous when improperly used. They should not resemble such kitchen powders as salt or sugar.
Cleaning compositions frequently have incorporated a colorant. (The term "colorant" is used throughout this specification to mean any type of color-imparting compound, whether a dye, pigment or other material.) Thus, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,623,476 (Nayar et al.) and 4,474,677 (Foxlee) describe aqueous bleach compositions with blue-green or blue colorants not degraded by the harsh bleach environment.
Other colorants may be employed in a bleach-containing environment when the colorant is protected in some way. U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,091 (Jones et al.) thus describes a thickened aqueous bleach solution in which the colorant agent is enrobed in a polymer latex to form a chromophore. And in U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,030 (Brierley et al.), the pigment remains suspended as particles in the bleach compositions, exposing little of itself to the aqueous bleach environment. Even colorants which are not bleach-stable may be incorporated in cleaning compositions: in U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,281 (Rapisarda et al.), yellow bleach-vulnerable dyes were incorporated in autodish compositions and, prior to addition of bleach, these compositions were "pre-conditioned" by contact with warm air. The resulting powder is color-stable.
Bleach-stable colorants may also be used. U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,562 (Rosselle et al.) describes automatic dishwashing compositions incorporating certain bleach-stable yellow stilbene dyes; these compositions are said to enjoy color stability despite the presence of bleach and substantial alkalinity as either aqueous liquid or spray-dried powder.
It is an object of the present invention to identify further bleach stable yellow colorants, which may suitably be incorporated in cleaning compositions, particularly autodish compositions.
It is also an object of this invention to impart stable color to bleach-containing and/or perfume-containing cleaning compositions.
It is another object of this invention to impart a lemon-like scent to the cleaning composition in order to complement the yellow color thereof.